Oat Soda Bread

Do you ever crave fresh homemade bread but don't have the time or patience to wait a few hours for yeast to work its magic? I certainly do. And lucky us, I have the solution to our little predicament right here. It's called soda bread. Have you heard of it? Soda bread isn't made with soda - as in soda pop - no, soda bread is made with baking soda as the leavener, and when combined with buttermilk, wonderful things happen, like bread rises.

Soda bread is known for its very short ingredient list, usually going something a little like this: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Sometimes people like to add raisins or nuts to their soda bread, but I like to keep mine pretty simple. Here is a wonderful version of soda bread made with oats, which provide just a touch of sweetness and texture.

Delicious, warm, hearty homemade bread in less than an hour? Yep. I speak the truth. Serve this bread warm with a slather of salted butter, or alongside a steaming bowl of soup, even toasted with a shmear of peanut butter... you can imagine the possibilities. I told you I had the solution to our little predicament. And a pretty darn good solution it is, might I say.

Notes: This recipe calls for oat flour. If you are more likely to have some rolled oats on hand, I've included below the recipe how to make your own oat flour with rolled oats. If you already have oat flour in your pantry, go ahead and use it! Also, if you would like, you can use a full 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, instead of the whole-wheat pastry and all-purpose combo.

Adapted from 101 cookbooks